Daily Positive Thoughts: October 27, 2016: Life

Artist: Hans Zatzka (1859-1945)

Life

Ignorance makes you believe that life functions haphazardly. Wisdom teaches you that everything that happens in this theatre of life has profound significance. What you see today is not the fruit of chance but a fruit from seeds planted in the past. Plant seeds of peace now and you will create a life of peace in the future.

Reaching The Destination Of Peace On Time (Part 1)

The objective of meditation has always been reaching the destination of inner peace. The process of meditation is like a journey to that destination, which many human souls have undertaken since thousands of years. After a life and in fact many lifetimes of indulging in habits of anger, fear, ego, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, greed etc. all of which blocked our access to this inner pure emotion and made us believe that these are normal emotions, believing completely that our true nature is peaceful, which is an experience opposite to all these; might seem difficult at first. Only our own experience can lead to a change in our deeply held beliefs, which then makes it easy for us to incorporate peace as an integral part of our personality.

As you dive into you own consciousness, with the objective of searching for and reaching your subtle destination of inner peace, you will encounter some distractions in your journey. Some of the most important of such distractions include:

- thoughts in the form of negative memories of the past; over-thinking about the present scenesand day-to-day actions in your life; desires, worries and unnecessary thinking related to the future, waste thinking about the natures and actions of people whom we come into contact with the most, etc.

- the inner, subtle voices of the many incorrect beliefs, which we have picked up from people by whom we have been surrounded since we were small;

- thoughts and emotions related to deep habits of identifying with and getting attached to things we are not, like the physical body, material possessions, people, our role in society, money, places, opinions or viewpoints, hobbies or interests etc.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Stop Worrying

Start today hoping to make mistakes! That doesn't mean you're giving yourself permission to be sloppy or careless. No!

It means that you stop worrying about getting things right and you're more willing to try new things and meet new challenges.

So, go on, stretch yourself and give yourself permission to make mistakes, learn from them and grow.

Message for the day

Your generosity in putting others forward will automatically place you in front. 

Contemplation: When you say 'you first' instead of 'I first' you will be placed forward. For having done the selfless service of putting others forward and encouraging them, you will get plenty of blessings. This will take you forward very quickly. 

Application: When there is a conflict with someone, become generous. Instead of expecting the other person to understand you and do according to what you want, listen to what he is saying. When you give a chance in this way you will move forward very quickly. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 26, 2016: Wisdom

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 26, 2016: Wisdom

Jaipur

Wisdom
The essence of wisdom is using what we know and confessing to what we do not know.

Forgive To Forget

A key principle to remain light and stable in relationships is – forgive and forget - it’s a well-known principle – one that we sometimes find difficult to practice. It can be modified to forgive to forget. Sometimes we spend many years with so much bitterness inside us for a particular person, with an inner violence of wanting to make the other pay (emotions of revenge), the one who has supposedly hurt you. If you don’t strike back immediately, you at least want to keep this guilt card in your pocket, to be pulled out at a later date: Oh yes, well what about the time when you…. We keep this bitterness inside us because we haven't forgiven. It does not resolve the situation; the only thing it does is increase our pain, makes us heavy and does not let us remain in peace.  So the key is that if we do not forgive, we cannot forget. When someone has offended or insulted us, the last thing we want to do is to let it go. And yet, if our desire is to have a healthy, lasting relationship, that is exactly what we’ve got to do.

Sometimes, when it is a question of a broken relationship, it is not only a matter of forgiving the other, but of forgiving yourself for having allowed yourself to enter that experience. It was you that took the step to allow that experience to be entered into. If you hadn't taken that step, you wouldn't have had that experience. You accepted that challenge, that relationship, and what might happen in it – you were aware of the possibilities when you entered in the relationship. So not only do you have to learn to forgive the other, but also to forgive yourself in such situations. Only then will you be able to forget.

Labeling

When we put labels on people, we're categorizing them with a single word, without considering complex factors. 

Labels get in the way of reality. In reality, people are so much more than a label.

Remove the labels. Take a peek below the surface to see, understand and accept others as they are. 

And keep the labels where they belong, on cans and jars, not people.

Message for the day

To be a leader is to lead by example keeping a watch on every action. 

Expression: When someone is clicking a photograph or recording a video of us, there is care taken about every action of ours. We make sure we are able to portray our best. In life too, if we have this consciousness, that I am being watched and I am a role model to everyone, I will be able to set the right example for others.

Experience: Today I will check my actions. I will do at least one thing today that can be as an example for others to follow. For example, when someone shouts or doesn't behave well, I will smile and have a thought of good wish for them. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 25, 2016: Exploring Silence

 

Exploring Silence

Human beings often think about things that don’t concern them and about other people. When you think a lot you will use the word 'why'. To become silent means to emerge wisdom from within. To move into dead silence means to go beyond the consciousness of the physical body. This is a very wonderful experience for the soul; it empowers and refreshes the soul.

The Pledge Of Responsibility

A very important aspect of progress in the self and my relationships, which we all desire is restoring a sense of responsibility in my inner world, so that by doing that, I and others around me are benefitted. Even on a physical or non-spiritual level, someone who is responsible while playing his/her role or performing his/her duties either in the family, at the workplace or in some other setting e.g. a club group or a team in a particular sport or a social service group, not only feels content with his/her actions himself/herself but spreads ripples of contentment to others and receives similar energy from each one he/she is involved with. In the same way on an emotional or spiritual level, when I start my day I need to remind myself of my responsibility towards myself. I need to remind myself that I am responsible for the choices I make in my life which influence and color everyone around me. So do my thoughts, feelings, the way my personality functions internally and externally the whole day and my responses to people and situations, for all of which I am responsible.

It is like taking a pledge of responsibility with the self in the morning that today I will not create a single thought, word or action which is against the texture of my innate, positive nature i.e. irresponsible. And what will provide my pledge the much required strength of determination? An injection of positive thoughts, emotions and sanskaras within me in the morning, using a suitable technique of self empowerment like meditation or spiritual study or some other. By taking such a pledge of responsibility and by watering it with the energy of my attention from time to time during the day, I am able to implement it and can make a difference to not only the people around me, but to a lot more than that. In this way, as I change, the world around me changes, because the energy I create in my inner world starts flowing into my circumstances, my interactions, my sphere of karmas, etc. to make them positive, which benefits me in return in the form of a cyclic process. As I take this pledge and abide by it for a few days, I start realizing the immense potential that it possesses.

Change your emphasis

When you have one of "those" days, when the pace steps up, when things get hectic, or when everything seems to go wrong.... Do you instantly declare it as a "bad day"?

Try this instead: change your attitude. Put things into perspective. Look for any silver lining. 

Maybe you expanded your own boundaries or discovered that you can get more done in less time. 

Change your emphasis and you change the impact of the day and how you feel.

Message for the day

A true diamond reveals its sparkle wherever it is. 

Expression: Sometimes, we tend to get affected by the negativity of the situation. We then lose touch with our inner qualities. But reminding myself that I am like a true diamond keeps me free from negative influences. I then continue to sparkle with my inner qualities wherever I am. I can thus help get in touch with their qualities too.

Experience: Today I will smile at myself and be proud of what I am. I will remind myself that I am the true diamond that can never lose the sparkle of my inner qualities and happiness where ever I am. This practice will help me be prepared to deal with the variety of situations that life brings my way. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 24, 2016: Power to Tolerate

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 24, 2016: Power to Tolerate

Power to Tolerate

To tolerate does not mean to die, but to live in everyone's heart with love. No matter how much against you someone is, even if you have to tolerate not once but ten times, nevertheless, the fruit of the power of tolerance is imperishable and sweet.

God And I – The Task We Share (Part 6)

Living a life of service is as simple as living your daily routine in which you perform the simplest of tasks. Presently, God is choosing people from all over the world who will help Him and it is upto us, the selected ones, to fulfill His dream, a dream where everyone has the basic spiritual wisdom and is extremely noble and pure in his thoughts, words and actions and the world is like a magical place of peace, love and joy. A few lakhs or millions will awaken the billions and then we will be in the middle of an inner awakening wave where slowly, over a period of time, a percentage of the world population will get at least the basic introduction of the true knowledge of the soul, God and the history and geography of the world, as given by God. And also the whole world will atleast know about God’s present task of world change and know that God is presently changing the world from a sorrow filled hell to a happiness filled heaven, where there is no sorrow.

To bring this time close soon on this planet where God’s presence is experienced in each and every heart with a spiritual belongingness i.e. a spiritual wisdom filled love for the Supreme, we need to work hard now. Also,bring a time close where everyone says – My Supreme Father has come to liberate me from sorrow. When everyone says mine with love and respect for God, the Supreme Father of humanity, that’s when the flag of God’s glorification will wave in the entire world and in every human being’s heart. We are looking at that future and it’s the future which God has already mentioned, will come on this planet soon, where every spiritual child will hold the flag of his or her spiritual parent’s love, based on spiritual knowledge, in his or her heart and will celebrate a union with their spiritual parent.

Enjoy the Game of Life

If life is a game, then be a good sport, not a sore loser. 

Be a good cheerleader, a loyal supporter, a good teammate.

Know when to sit on the sidelines and when to get off the sidelines and get into the game. 

When the game gets tough, rise to the challenge. When it gets too easy, take the game to the next level.

And remember, the goal is to have fun. So, get into the spirit of play and enjoy the game of life.

Message for the day

The power of stability enables to cross over all obstacles. 

Expression: The one who is stable is not influenced by one's own old habits and tendencies to react, but is able to think and act properly under all circumstances. The power of stability brings forth the best decisions in the most difficult times, brings solutions and helps in lessening the impact of the obstacle itself. 

Experience: When I am stable on the seat of a master, I am able to be free from the influence of my own old habits, those that are of weakness. Instead I am able to transform old habits into new ones, making them into those of power. Learning to be stable in the most difficult situations enables me to cross over all obstacles very easily. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 23, 2016: Quality of Thoughts

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 23, 2016: Quality of Thoughts

 

Quality of Thoughts

An enlightened person understands that there is nothing to be gained by thinking about others. Pure thoughts and feelings will do all the work. There is no need to think any further. The quality of your thoughts will affect your spiritual endeavour. So keep checking them. If you don't, then at some point your mode of thinking will become quite ordinary, no longer spiritual. The sign of this is that your mind begins to; race and you start reacting sensitively to little things. You become vulnerable not just to the opinions of others but even to your own limited way of understanding. Thoughts can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

God And I – The Task We Share (Part 5)

Spiritual knowledge is given to us by God, who is the Ocean of Knowledge, and has the true knowledge of the soul, Himself as well as the history and geography of the world. This spiritual knowledge should be given to every human being in the world. That is what God’s pure desire is. But how will he fulfill His desire? It is through us that His knowledge will be given to each soul in the world, through our thoughts, words and actions. Have you ever dreamt of a world where every human being had the true spiritual knowledge of him or herself and thought, spoke and acted according to that? Such a world would be a beautiful place to live in and there would be no sorrow of either the mind or the body or your role and relationships. All the sorrow in the world is because of a lack of true spiritual knowledge in human minds.

Giving knowledge to the world is God’s primary act, which He performs when He is present in the world to change it, when sorrow increases. But, He cannot perform this action without our help, because He needs human beings and the words they speak to reach out to billions of people all over the world. So, do you ever think that I should be one of those chosen ones who will become instrumental in helping God at this particular time or do you think this duty is to be fulfilled by others and not necessarily me? The world needs the friends of God, who are extremely close to Him and are taking spiritual knowledge from Him to take out time every day to help God in His task and this is something that we need to do soon. World servers are God’s right hands who perform their daily actions related to their routine, play all their relationships of family and friendship work hard for a living and succeed immensely and inspite of that give spiritual knowledge to each and every one whom they meet and love. Loving someone means that I realize my duty of giving him or her knowledge that I have and they start experiencing happiness because of the knowledge.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Restore Hope

Do you get disappointed with yourself when you fail to meet your own high expectations and standards?

The next time you fail to meet your own expectations, remove the bruise of disappointment with the balm of hope. 

Recognize that the road may be long, but at least you're on the road. Then work out the terrain ahead and your next set of steps.

Restore hope in yourself and feel the spring come back into your step.

Message for the day

When there is love, you can tolerate easily.

Thought to Ponder: Love makes you free from expectations, which enables you to accept people as they are. You can then go within yourself and discover your own strengths. You will automatically be a giver in all situations and you can tolerate very easily.

Point to Practice: Think of one person in whom you were not able to tolerate some quality. Now tell yourself that just as a mother accepts her child even with weaknesses, you will accept this person as he is. When you change your attitude towards that person you can be tolerant. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris